Disturbing texts with underage girl

James Franco allegedly tried to pick up a teenage girl on Instagram, but it is not clear whether he was caught red-handed or if the whole thing was a prank.

Photo credit: Joseph Marzullo/WENN.com

After leaked screenshots made it to the internet, James Franco is now believed to have tried to arrange a hotel hookup with a teenage girl on Instagram. But, the whole thing may have been a fake, or a stunt by the actor.

A girl from Scotland by the name of Lucy Clode met Franco at his Of Mice and Men Broadway show where she took an Instagram video with the actor. Apparently, Franco told her, "You gotta tag me," after she recorded the clip.

Later on that night, Clode allegedly had a text conversation on Instagram with Franco where he asked her where she was from, if she had a boyfriend and how old she was. She told him she was 17 years old and that she'd turn 18 in May.

Photo credit: Daily Dot

The pair then moved their conversation to text messaging where the actor asked Clode to meet him at a hotel in New York City.

"Can I see you?" Franco asked, to which Clode replied, "As long as you are James Franco." The actor said that he was and posted a selfie of his face as proof.

Photo credit: Daily Dot

Clode seemed to rethink her decision when she told the actor that, "I'll come back when I'm 18," to which Franco replied with "X." Then she wrote, "Well this is a story my Scottish friends will never believe." Franco was quick to answer with, "Don't tell."

Further asking for more evidence that she was indeed texting with Franco himself, Clode got another photo after Franco told her to text him whenever she was ready to meet him.

"One second, I will meet you if you write your name on a piece of paper then send it to me with your face also in the picture, please," she wrote. Franco obliged, although the two reportedly never met.

Photo credit: Daily Dot

Franco then posted a message in response to the escalating scandal via his Twitter account saying, "I HOPE PARENTS KEEP THEIR TEENS AWAY FROM ME. Thank you." He linked an Instagram image of himself with the caption, "Why are you thirsty for underage ones?" but later deleted the image.

Speculation claims that if this is not a real conversation, Franco may have played the stunt in order to promote his latest movie, Palo Alto, where he plays a high school coach who seduces a teen soccer player.